Hollywood actress Gal Gadot has been awarded Israel’s prestigious 2026 Genesis Prize to recognize her “steadfast defense of Israel at great personal and professional risk.”
The $1 million award is granted each year to someone for their professional achievements, contributions to humanity and commitment to Jewish values. Gadot said she will donate the $1 million prize to Israeli non-governmental organizations “working to mend the nation’s deep physical and psychological wounds,” according to the Genesis Prize Foundation.
Previous winners of Israel’s Genesis Prize include former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; star singer Barbra Streisand, director Steven Spielberg and last year, Argentina’s president Javier Milei. Many previous winners also donated their prize funds to philanthropic causes.
“I am humbled to receive the Genesis Prize and to stand alongside the amazing laureates who came before me. I am a proud Jew and a proud Israeli. I love my country and dedicate this award to the organizations who will help Israel heal and to those incredible people who serve on the front lines of compassion. Israel has endured unimaginable pain. Now we must begin to heal — to rebuild hearts, families, and communities,” Gadot said in a statement on Tuesday.
After the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks on southern Israel, the Wonder Woman star called on the international community to do everything possible to secure the release of the women hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. The Israeli-born Gadot also helped organize a screening in Los Angeles of footage of atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7.
“Gal Gadot’s moral clarity and unwavering love for Israel have inspired millions,” said Stan Polovets, co-founder and chairman of The Genesis Prize Foundation in his own statement. “The award recognizes her bravery and moral courage — her steadfast defense of Israel at great personal and professional risk, her advocacy for the hostages, her compassion for victims of terror, and her empathy for all innocent victims of this terrible war unleashed by Hamas. Her decision to turn the Genesis Prize honor into a mission of healing embodies the very purpose of the Prize — to celebrate achievement and channel it for good.”
